


Borborygmus

by Monochrome_Eyes



Series: Writings [5]
Category: Amulet (Graphic Novels)
Genre: Gen, God I act like he's a woobie, Hurt/Comfort, I can't help it okay??, I need to fill up every tag with Trellis fics if I have to, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Just Warning, Oh God I'm so sorry I'm back on my bullshit, Starvation, Trellis-centric, Trellis-whump, a lot ooc, give us more Navin-Trellis interactions cowards, i admit, well he kinda is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-29
Updated: 2018-07-29
Packaged: 2019-06-18 04:19:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15477522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Monochrome_Eyes/pseuds/Monochrome_Eyes
Summary: Navin has been eyeing his food far too many times, much to his annoyance and personal space. He is all to well familiar with the feeling. One day, Trellis has enough and gives in.Or where Trellis accidentally mentions something dark about his past, and got the Hayes siblings very worried.





	Borborygmus

**Author's Note:**

> Can we all agree that Trellis is way too thin to be healthy?

Trellis considers himself as a pretty observant person. Of course, not much people know this, he keeps his mouth shut most of the time but he does notice things most people don't. A slight shift in expression or tone, your possessions and behavior, he can already deduce a lot. A very useful skill, practiced over the years to survive, or at least anticipate a brewing dark mood and quickly find a way to defuse it. Or at least be prepared for the inevitable punishment.

  
However, no one really needs Trellis's enhanced senses or keen perception to see Navin eyeing his food for the past few minutes.

  
He's been doing this for the past several days, during meals that Navin have pretty much inhaled and they're the only ones left. It's obvious he's still hungry, so Trellis made sure to decrease his own serving to accommodate Navin every meal. Even so, it's still not enough.

  
He can't really blame him, he's growing, his metabolism is getting faster and he needs to consume energy more than ever for his maturing body.

  
That doesn't mean the wistful gaze isn't suffocating. Trellis can't even chew right under it, feeling a sense of guilt. He's a slow eater, and he doesn't really finish his meals if he goes too fast, so he's stuck here for several more minutes under a pleading look that is poorly masked.

  
He glances up, and Navin's gaze flits away, he then has enough, setting down the utensil unto the plate. Sighing, he stares at the food, barely consumed halfway. He wouldn't mind it right? It's not like he's going to complain that the food's contaminated, he's way too nice for that. Or hungry, in this case.

  
Mutely, he slowly slid the plate over to Navin.

  
Comically enough, his eyes widened, face flushing in embarrassment as his back goes ramrod straight.

  
Trellis rolls his eyes before he can even open his mouth. "Navin, you're not exactly subtle."

  
He reddened even deeper, to his amusement. "Sorry, I couldn't help it. I wasn't stuffed even after all those helping, but Luger's cooking is too good and this is your meal and—"

  
"Navin, it's fine," he says firmly, raising a hand to stop him, an indication that he would not accept for him to refuse. "It's not that I eat much anyway. You can have it."

  
"But, you'll be hungry—" Navin starts, but Trellis impatiently waved him off.

  
"So what? I've starved on many occasions before, I wouldn't wish that on anyone. Better get your stomach full, and don't worry about me, I've been able to function with an empty one many times. Now, eat."

  
He leaves before Navin can get any more word of protest but to his surprise, he just sat there, eyes wide and the food in his hands largely ignored as he stares at Trellis walking away. He sighs, and tries not to be exasperated; he just hopes Navin would actually obey him and not have any guilt over it.

 

 

 

At dinner, Rico had finally stood up, leaving Trellis alone at the table. Everyone else had either retired to their quarters or at the captain's cabin, allowing him to spend a few precious minutes alone. Now having privacy, he relaxes his back and hunches over, his chin digging unto his palm. The food lay forgotten, even if it was delicious and still warm, his spoon poking at the potatoes. The last sliver of appetite is gone; he isn't used to eating large meals, and Navin didn't appear for dinner, oddly enough, so he got a bigger serving than he had intended. Perhaps he was still full from earlier?

  
Still, he doubts he'll be alone further, Navin will probably trot into the dining room and give him another wistful gaze. Perhaps this time he'll be a bit more verbal about it. It's not like Trellis is cruel enough to reject him.

  
Sure enough, he can hear footsteps along with the wind outside the hallway. His ears twitching from the vibrations it's sending, he doesn't bother to look up when the door opened, theb closed and someone pulled out a chair before sitting down across him.

  
They cleared their throat, his face curling to a frown when it sounded not what he expected and looks up.

  
To his surprise, Navin wasn't seated across him but Emily, both eyebrows raised. He returns the inquiring look, becoming conscious of his poor posture, opting to sitting straight instead of hunching over to properly pay attention.

  
She points at his plate. "Surely it doesn't taste that bad."

  
He scoffs. What a way to start a conversation. "Of course not. As if anything Luger made is disgusting."

  
"Then why aren't you eating it?" She asks, tone light.

  
That sounded... Odd, alarm bells going off his head. He purses his lips, it's not like there's anything wrong yet, her tone is inquiring. Still, the tone doesn't seem to match her body language, which feels heavy, as if she's planning to stay there for quite some time regardless if he doesn't want her to. So he doesn't bother to answer, shrugging instead.

  
"Not a favourite then?" She asks, placing her folded arms on the table, her torso leaning over. "Maybe we can cook something different?"

  
Well, that's bothersome. He shakes his head, "No, no. There's no need to. I just don't feel like eating, is all. Besides, I don't really have a favourite food, so it's not like there's a point."

  
Faint curiosity flickered in her face. "You don't have one? How come?"

  
"Well, it's not like I had an opportunity to consume more palatable dishes," he says nonchalantly. "I have no basis on how good Luger's cooking is, but it's undeniably delicious. I'd choose it over the meals I've been fed at the palace or on missions, that's what."

  
"Three things," Emily says, and Trellis barely restrains jerking at the abrupt change of tone, which became serious. "Firstly, what does palatable mean?"

  
He mulls it over, examining the words if the question was exactly what he thought it was, before answering. "Palatable is just another word for tasty."

  
"Alright, two other things. What do you mean you haven't got opportunities, and what in the world they're feeding you back then?" She asks, face now hardening, sounding almost demanding. This is turning for the worse, unease pooling his stomach, causing his meal to churn. There was a sudden familiar feeling of being cornered, to his panic, and he tries to smooth over his features to not let any of his real feelings reach his eyes. It's okay, it's fine, he could defuse this situation.

  
"It's not like there is any point trying new dishes, we eat to live after all, not live to eat. We consume to have energy, taste is just a factor to stomach everything better, and I'm fine with that. We consume food for its nutritional value—" He halts as Emily raises a hand.

  
"You dodged the last question. Don't answer if you don't want to, but I'd really rather know."

  
He can't help but squirm, her gaze is rather intense and it's clear she's isn't fooled. Should've known this was trap, else he could've forced himself to finish eating and leave to avoid this confrontation. What was her intention, he still doesn't know. But she made it clear she wants answers and she's displeased. With something. Well, he doesn't really have anything to lose with the truth. What's she going to do? Erase his mind and enslave him? Wipe him off the face of Alledia?

  
"My diet..." He starts, mind going mile a minute to figure out the safest way to answer it, just in case. "... Is rather... Restrictive. In comparison."

  
"Restrictive." She utters out, voice monotone.

  
"Purely for nutritional purposes," he continues, betraying none of his unease."Taste wasn't all that necessary, ironically enough in a spice country, so it is pretty much inedible. But, I did learn to keep it down as time, so."

  
At that Emily nodded, face carefully stoic, allowing Trellis to ease a little until she suddenly brought up an old wound. "You mean they starved you?"

  
He winces, visibly flinching. So that's what it was, the memory from the previous hours suddenly hitting him in regretful droves, realizing the consequences and berates himself for slipping just like that.Then his jaw sets, teeth clenched and eyes hard. Navin is a good person, kind and nice and Trellis genuinely likes him yet like his sister,  _he_  needs to learn where his boundaries lay.

  
"Circumstances," he gritted out slowly, cautiously. "I starved due to circumstances, mostly, when I'm sent out on the field."

  
"Circumstances," Emily parroted, and he automatically knows that _she_ knows that isn't just _i_ _t._  He sighs wearily, defeated, realization finally dawning that there's no way out of this. Body deflating and defenses crumbling, he refuses to look at her in the eye when he spills.

  
"And punishment." Quiet, dejected, anyone not expecting it wouldn't have heard it so he's sure Emily did. "Sometimes for days. Just water. Sometimes very little food for a week. Eating was a privilege, for me it seems. A luxury I didn't have until now."

  
He waits, for the jeering laughter of mockery, or perhaps the sneering jab at his pathetic situation. He's a prince, yet treated like a servant. There's a lump that's hard to expel in his throat, frustration and humiliation to forcing himself to submit. He just wants Emily to just say her piece, for the humiliation to pass to get this over with and retreat to his room. Trellis really wished Navin didn't tell Emily, so there's only one person who knows this.

  
The silence is defeaning, and he waits for a few tense moments in anxiety.

  
He can hear Emily breathe deeply through her nose and quietly exhales. Oh. It seems she is trying to control her temper. He slowly lifts his head and her eyes is steely yet shiny, but there's also... Remorse?

  
"Trellis," she starts, voice hard but shaky, "don't you e-ever, ever hold yourself back when you need — want to eat okay? We both know you need it, no one's gonna stop you if you even raid the pantry, and we both know that Enzo could really use losing a few pounds, is all I'm saying."

  
Trellis huffs a laugh, never fully forming out in the air, although it does reach his eyes.

  
Relief and joy floods his body. She's not angry or jeering, she's just. Worried. Worried that he hadn't been fed right and wants to encourage him to eat more.

  
"So..." He starts, breathe trembling, "you're not... You don't think it's pathetic?"

  
Her expression becomes pained. "No, I don't. That... That abuse isn't pathetic, Trellis. It's cruel and wrong. Don't ever think you shouldn't eat because you're... You're punishing yourself o-or because you have to. You eat because you need to, even want to if you dared, none of us are going to stop or berate you from eating more. You have every right to do so, okay?"

  
He doesn't trust himself to speak, so he just nods, closing his eyes that was stinging with tears he refuses to spill.

  
There was something warm gently wrapping around his hand, and he curls his fingers around it. The memories that flood back is rocking him to the core, but Emily is there serving as an anchor, so he doesn't float away anywhere, instead persevering against the tides of emotions he didn't expect to feel. They sat there, as Trellis gets all of those bitterness and relief out of his system, while Emily waits patiently, respectfully quiet. In a few minutes, he relaxes, emotionally exhausted.

  
Exhaling shakily, he looks at her, unspoken gratitude in the air and she nods. It seems she has gotten the message. Emily releases his hand and stand up, the chair scraping against the floor.

  
"Just finish your food whenever you can okay?"

  
He nods in affirmation and went back to focus on the meal, warmth now gone. She leaves, closing the door again and retreats to somewhere, her room, likely.

  
The meal is cold, but that didn't bother him at all.

 

 

* * *

 

** Epilogue: **

 

"Navin," he calls out the day after.

  
He freezes, body language clearly surprised at being caught before slowly and reluctantly facing him, a guilty look on his face. A plastic crinkles behind his back but it was obscured from view so he doesn't know what it was. Trellis can't help but feel bad, it's not like he's going to yell at him.

  
"So," he starts off, awkwardly, arms crossed and his face attempting to look stern. "You told Emily."

  
Navin grimaces, opting to look at his shuffling feet, his arms behind him before he speaks. "I did, sorry. I know you don't like us prying into your past and I respect that, but when you told me that you've been working on an empty stomach several times, it hit me hard and I had to tell and ask Em what to do because I didn't know how to deal with it. "

  
He raises his head, looking him suddenly in the eyes, face indignant and eyebrows creased. "I mean, I should've realized there's something wrong ever since you've been decreasing your own portion but I've been too hungry and nervous to talk about it. Yet, when you mentioned you've been starved before, I can't help but worry that you haven't been eating right —"

  
"Okay, I'll stop you right there," he says gently, both palms up. "You... You were worried? That's why you told Emily?" That's... Confusing, and startling, to be honest. "You're trying to look after me?"

  
Navin gives him an incredulous look. "Isn't that what friends do? Look after each other? That's what you've been doing to me, shouldn't I be doing the same to you?"

  
Trellis just stares at him, surprised and moved at his sincerity. So he _had_  noticed, and felt bad. Tried to ask Emily for a solution, and she confronted him to do so.

  
Friends, huh. Emily and Navin looking after him as well as he with them.

  
The warm feeling in his chest felt good, he can't quite identify it. He's at a loss for words, yet he still has to explain and apologize.

  
"Yes, I suppose that's what friends do," he says, tone soft with appreciation. "I'm not angry at you for telling Emily."

  
To his intentions, Navin becomes relieved. "Oh, thank goodness. I don't think I could've handle it."

  
Trellis snorted, as if he could ever be angry at Navin, who grinned at the amusement.

  
His composes, becoming his usual serious self. "Still, don't feel guilty over it. You don't have to worry about me not eating enough, and don't mind whenever I share my food with you. I _wanted_  you to have it, because I know what it's like to be hungry. Besides, if it's not enough, we could always ask Luger to cook some more next time."

  
His grin widens. "Else Em is going to scold you?"

  
"Else Emily is going to talk my ear off, yes." He agrees, nodding seriously. "Don't tell her I said that."

  
Navin laughs, and Trellis can't help but a corner of his lips tugging upward in return. Plastic crinkles soundly again, as Navin conjures a pack of cookies.

  
Offering the package, and he observes the brown delicacy and based on what he can smell — gingersnaps.

  
Trellis takes up the offer.

 

  
"Thank you," he says.


End file.
